Water heater



W. G. yHNNA -March 1, 1932.

WATER HEATER Filed Sept. 5, 1950 l ?1 RA MW AWM G A 52. 3 T m Q v- W/-.H W

Patented Mar. 1, 1932Y PATENT OFFICE WALTER G. HANNA, 0F OAKLAND,CALIFORNIA WATER HEATER Application led September 3, 1930. Serial No.479,491,

This invention relates to improvements iny An object of the invention isto` provlde water heater of the characterv described which will quicklyand thoroughly heat with alow fuel consumption, a comparatively largequantity of water in a relatively. small, compact and inexpensive heaterstructure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a water heater of thecharacter described wherein `a novel boiler partition member and alikewise novel heating means are so constructed and relatively arrangedas to provide in the boiler a plurality of eiiicaciously spaced heatingzones insuring a rapid water circulation and a quicker andmorewidespread ap;- plication to the wat-er of the heat, whereby an economyin fuel and the advantages aforementioned result.

A further object of the inventionfis the provisionA of a heater unitthat may be easily and inexpensively installed in small and restrictedspaces, and has the heater associated with the boiler in a particularlycompact arrangement. Y

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth or be apparent in thefollowing description of a typical embodiment of the invention which is1ln lustrated in the accompanying drawings, iny

which, i

Figure 1 represents a transverse sectional view of a heater embodyingthe present invention. n

Figure 2 represents a longitudinal vertical sectional view of theheater.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view 3 3 inl Figure 2.A y

The present embodiment ofthe` invention which is shown in detail in theaccompanying drawings and hereinafter described comprises a householdheater ofthe gas heated of the heater taken generally at the line Y,

type, but it is to be understoodthat `the heater may be made up in anysize and for commercial or other purposes and heatedv electrically orotherwise, asfdesired. l

The water heater here shown is seen to comprise a cylindrical boiler ortank 1 havingits axis horizont-al and provided with a Coldwater intake 2at the lower side of the end wall 3 thereof, a hot water outlet 4 at theupper side of said wall, a heating means generally designated 5anddisposed within the boiler, fuel supply means 6 extending through theend Wall 7 and a flue 8 likewise extended from the last named wall.`Withl this arrangement, the heater as a whole comprises a compact unitpractically no larger than the bulk of the boiler itself, whereby theunit may be easily and conveniently installed. i y

The heating means 5 includes a main lire or heating tube 10 extendingfrom end wall to end wall approximately centrally of the boiler, andreturn tubes :11 and 12 disposed in spaced parallelrelation to and onopposite sides of the main tube, corresponding ends of the three tubesbeing connected thru a header of conduit 14 provided at the end wall 3.The other ends of the tube 11 and 12 are joined to the flue 8 by shortflue .pipes 15 and 16. Ity will now be seen that heated gases providedin the main tube 10 by a burner or kheatertherein or by introductionthereto will pass from said tube vthru the feeder 14 and tubes 11 and 12and from thence thru the pipes 15 and 16 and out thru the flue 8. Bythis arrangement the heat is widely distributed and effectively appliedto the water in the boiler whereby a quick and thorough heating of thewater is insured. As here shown the heat is provided by a gaseous fuelburner 18, extended into the main tube 10 and joined to the fuel supplymeans 6 therefor. However heating means other than the gaseous fuelburner may be used if desired. A means is provided to servefin realityas ak part of the heating meanswhereby to increase the heating capacityofthe tubes 10, 11, and 12. This means also provides for a positivecirculation of the water in the boiler in such manner vas to quickly andthoroughly heat the water. Furthermore said means is cooperative withthe heater tubes to define a plurality of heating zones, as hereprovided, a primary zone A and secondary zones B and C. The above namedmeans is in the form of a partition 19 extended transversely across anddividing the boiler into upper and lower Sections. vIn the-lower sectionthe tube l0 and heating Zone A are located, whereas the tubes 1l and 12and heating zones B and C are located in the upper boiler section. Thedefinition of these zones is provided for by a curvate formation of thepartition in an arrangement forming two upwardly opening channelportions 20 and 2l in which the tubes l1 and 12 extend, Vand a centrallylocated downwardly opening channel portion 22 in which the tube l() isdisposed. It will be noted that these channel portions are curvedsubstantially concentrically with said tubes and that said tubes are sospaced from said portions as to define restricted water-heating spacesbetween them and the partition portions and comprising the variousheating zones. l/Vater in and passing thru said zones or spaces isheated in a quick and thorough manner. Y This provision for the severalzones of heating is seen to increase the convection circulation of thewater and therefore insures a quick heating of the'entire contents ofthe tank.

To provide for circulation ofthe water from the lower section of theboiler, and particularly the water heated in the zone A, a tube 25 isextended upwardly from the channel portion 22 near one end of the boilerand a convection .discharge of the water from the zone A takes placethru said tube. By ar'- ranging openings 26 in the partition member nearthe other end of the boiler and at the bottoms of the zones B and C, thewater will circulate downwardly from the upper end of the tube 25generally diagonally to and thru said openings, being heated in thesecondary zones B and C from the fire tubes l1 and 12 respectively whilethus circulating. The aforesaid action is seen to take place when nowater is being withdrawn from the heater and the burner 18 is lit. Whenwater is withdrawn from the heater while the burner is lit, the hotwater from the heating zone A will pass substantially directly to theoutlet 4, the water in the zones B and C acting as a heat insulatingmeans for the former zone, thereby insuring a most efficient operationof the device as an instantaneous heater.

It will now be clear that by the aforesaid circulating and heatingprovisions, the full 'effect of the heated tubes l0, l1 and12 isutilized tol heat contents of the boiler in a quickI and particularlyeiiicient manner, vtherebymaking possible marked economy in fuelconsumption and the advantages hereinbefore noted.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operationwill be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which theinvention appertains, and while I have described the principle ofoperation, together with the .device whichv I now consider to be thebest embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the deviceshown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made, whendesired, as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedYStates the following:

l. In a water heater, a boiler, a plurality of heater tubes extendinginto said boiler and arranged -to communicate with one another, apartition member dividing the boiler into upper and lower sections andextending between the tubes in a curvate formation providing a pair ofupwardly opening channel portions in the upper boiler section and adownwardly opening channel vportion in the lower boiler section and inVwhich portions said tubes are disposed, said partition having openingstherein providing for a circulation of water from one section toanother.

2. In a water heater, a boiler, a main heater tube disposed yin theboiler, a burner in said tube, heater tubes disposed alongside the firsttube and connected therewith, a partition member dividing the boilerinto upper and lower sections and beingof curvate formation and extendedbetween the tubes to provide a downwardly opening channel portion inwhich the main tube is disposed, and upwardly opening channel portionsin which the other tubes are disposed, said channel portions beingspacedfrom said tubes and curved substantially 'concentric therewith, and awater discharger tube extending upward from the partition member incommunication with the first named channel portion near one end of theboiler,`said partition member having openings therein near the other endof the boiler providing for downward circulation of water from the uppersection of the boiler.

3. A water heater comprising a boiler, a heatingV tube extending throughsaid boiler in a horizontal position, a heating unit in said tube, apair of tubes extending through tube and in substantially the samehorizontal plane therewith, said tubes communicating at one end with theheating tube, and at the other end with a flue, and a plate dividicoVsaid boiler on opposite sides of the heating ing the' boiler into alower section contain- 3.

ing the heating tube and an upper section containing said pair of tubes,lsaid plate being perforated to permit fluid communication between saidupper and lower sections.

Il. A water heater comprising a boiler, a heating tube extending throughsaid boiler in a horizontal position, a heating unit in said tube, apair of tubes extending through said boiler on opposite sides of theheating tube and in substantially the same horizontal plane therewith,said tubes communicating at one end with the heating tube, and at theother end With a, flue, and a plate dividing the boiler into a lowersection containing the heating tube and an upper section containing saidpair of tubes7 said plate being formed on curves concentric to andspaced from all of said tubes, and having perforations formed therein.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

VALTER G. HANNA.

